Recent developments

Forthcoming events

Capacity-building under the AWG-LCA

Capacity-building under the SBI

Capacity-building frameworks

Background

Recent developments

COP 17/CMP 7,  Durban Climate Change Conference

Durban resulted in notable progress on capacity-building, with the establishment of the Durban Forum for in-depth discussion on capacity-building as part of the Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, and the completion of the second comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation.

Durban Forum

Parties decided to establish the Durban Forum for in-depth discussion on capacity-building as the institutional arrangement tasked to further enhance the monitoring and review of the effectiveness of capacity-building.

The Durban Forum will be held annually during the mid-year sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation.  Parties, representatives of the relevant bodies established under the Convention, experts and practitioners will be invited to share their experiences and exchange ideas, best practices and lessons learned on the implementation of capacity-building activities in developing countries. more>> (105 kB)

Completion of the second comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries

Parties reached an agreement on the conclusion of the second comprehensive review under the Convention (102 kB) and under the Kyoto Protocol (112 kB) , and decided to initiate the third comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries at SBI 42 (June 2015) with a view to completing it at COP 22/CMP 12 (November–December 2016). 

 Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action

In Durban Parties decided to establish a subsidiary body under the Convention, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, to work on the development of a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties. Areas of work include, amongst others, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, transparency of action and support, and capacity-building. more>> (123 kB)

Capacity-building Portal

The information portal on capacity-building, now still in a prototype stage, is expected to  serve as an entry point to an authoritative set of data provided by United Nations organizations, Parties, non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders engaged in building capacity of developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The prototype version was demonstrated in a side event at COP 17/CMP 7, where participants exchanged views on its potential usage and made recommendations on the future development of the portal (see presentation delivered on Monday, 05 Dec 2011 18:30—20:00 in room Apies River at: http://regserver.unfccc.int/seors/reports/events_list.html?session_id=COP17/CMP7) 

A pilot version of the capacity-building portal is planned to become functional by May 2012, subject to the availability of resources.

SBI 35:  14 – 25 May 2012

• First session of the Durban Forum on capacity-building
• Third comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in countries with economies in transition

Fourteenth session (fourth part)
Durban, South Africa, 29 November - 9 December 2011

Parties reached an agreement on the two pending issues mandated by COP 16, namely: ways to further enhance the monitoring and review of the effectiveness of capacity-building; and modalities regarding institutional arrangements for capacity-building. The negotiations in Durban resulted in the establishment of the Durban Forum for in-depth discussion on capacity-building as the institutional arrangement tasked to further enhance the monitoring and review of the effectiveness of capacity-building. more>> (105 kB)

Fourteenth session (third part)
Panama City, Panama, 1-7 October 2011

Capacity-building negotiations started in Panama with a three-hour in-depth discussion, where Parties engaged in lively debate and were mainly interested in understanding how gaps in the delivery of capacity-building are addressed in projects and programs.
Facilitators of the AWG-LCA informal groups on mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance, the Chair of the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention, the vice-chair of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) and a representative of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) were invited to present their respective areas of work relevant to capacity-building.  more>>

In the following informal meetings, Parties presented proposals for draft decision texts and clarified specific elements of their proposals. The output of the work of the informal group is the Compilation of drafts texts for a draft decision (130 kB) .

Fourteenth session  (second part)
Bonn, Germany, 7 - 17 June 2011 

Parties focused their discussion on the two pending issues that need to be considered by COP 17, namely: ways to further enhance the monitoring and review of the effectiveness of capacity-building; and modalities regarding institutional arrangements for capacity-building.  A summary of the discussions held during the meetings is contained in a note by the facilitator.  The note does not represent consensus reached or formal positions of regional groups.

Thirteenth session
Cancun, Mexico,  29 November - 10 December 2010

Parties reached an agreement on a number of issues, which is captured in decision 1/CP.16 (pages 22-23). Such issues are:

• Scope and principles of capacity-building;
• A list of actions;
• Provision of financial resources for capacity-building;
• Reporting by Annex I Parties on the support provided to developing countries in building their capacity;
• Reporting by Non-Annex I Parties on the progress in building capacity and on the use of the support received.

The COP requested the AWG-LCA to consider the following unresolved issues by COP 17:

• ways to enhance monitoring and review of capacity-building;
• and modalities for institutional arrangements for capacity-building.

SBI 35: Parties reached an agreement on the conclusion of the second comprehensive review under the Convention (102 kB) and under the Kyoto Protocol (112 kB) , and decided to initiate the third comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries at  SBI 42 (June 2015) with a view to completing it at COP 22/CMP 12 (November–December 2016).

SBI 34: Parties decided to continue their consideration of the second comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries at SBI 35, with a view of completing the second comprehensive review of the capacity-building framework under the Convention and under the Kyoto Protocol at COP 17/CMP 7.

SBI 33: Parties decided to continue their consideration of the second comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries at SBI 34, with a view of completing the second comprehensive review of the capacity-building framework under the Convention at COP 17/CMP 7.  Work undertaken by Parties as regards capacity-building for developing countries under the Convention and under the Kyoto Protocol is reflected in decisions 10/CP.16 (105 kB)   and  11/CMP.6 (106 kB) , respectively. 

  In developing countries

• A first comprehensive review of the framework was conducted at COP 10 in 2004, and identified key factors that should be taken into account to increase effectiveness of this framework (decision 2/CP.10)
• A second comprehensive review of the implementation of the capacity-building framework in developing countries was initiated at SBI 28 (June 2008) and should be completed by COP 17 (December 2011) (terms of reference for the review included  in annex IV  to SBI 28 conclusions.  The review was also applicable for capacity-building under the Kyoto Protocol.
• A third comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries will be initiated at  SBI 42 (June 2015), with a view to completing it at COP 22/CMP 12 (November–December 2016). The review is also applicable for capacity-building under the Kyoto Protocol.

  In countries with economies in transition

• A first comprehensive review of the framework was conducted at COP 10 in 2004, and identified key factors that should be taken into account to increase effectiveness of this framework (decision 3/CP.10).
• A second comprehensive review took place in 2007 at SBI 27. The SBI agreed ( FCCC/SBI/2007/34, para. 81-88 and para. 117-128) that the scope of needs as listed in the framework for capacity-building in EIT countries is still relevant. 
• SBI agreed to conduct a third comprehensive review at its thirty-sixth session.

Background
The need for capacity-building to assist Parties, especially developing countries, to respond to climate change has long been recognized in the Convention’s work on such issues as technology transfer, national communications and funding. Under the Convention, the SBI is charged with providing advice on "ways and means of supporting endogenous capacity-building in developing countries" (Article 9), while the Kyoto Protocol commits Parties to cooperating in, and promoting, "…the strengthening of national capacity-building…"( Article 10(e)). Capacity-building cuts across many of the issues under consideration in the climate change process, and has featured in several COP decisions. The issue of capacity- building, however, was first considered as a separate agenda item only at COP 5 (Bonn, October/November 1999).

Through its decisions 10/CP.5 and 11/CP.5, COP 5 launched a process to address capacity-building in an integrated manner, resulting in frameworks for capacity-building being agreed at COP 7 (Marrakech, November/December 2001) for developing countries and countries with economies in transition (EITs) in decisions 2/CP.7 and 3/CP.7 respectively. These frameworks were intended to serve as a guide for the climate change capacity-building activities of the GEF and other funding bodies.  more >>

Last modified: 12 January 2012